Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and held talks with his Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Maitama Tuggar in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Thursday.
In his meeting with Tinubu, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said China and Nigeria should promote the continuous development of their comprehensive strategic partnership and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
He also said China is ready to help Nigeria speed up its development plan and support the West African nation's fight against terrorism.
Wang Yi also expressed appreciation for Nigeria's adherence to the one-China principle.
On his part, President Tinubu said Nigeria attaches great importance to relations with China. He said implementation of the outcomes of the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing last year will help Nigeria's national development.
During his talks with Tuggar, Wang highlighted Nigeria's global influence as an important member of the Global South, and the vital role it plays in Africa's peace and development.
China is ready to align Belt and Road cooperation and the 10 partnership action plans with the priority areas of Nigeria's Renewed Hope Agenda by leveraging traditional advantages in infrastructure cooperation, expanding trade and financial collaboration, and creating new highlights in investment cooperation to further deepen practical ties between the two countries, Wang said.
He reiterated China's steadfast support for Africa in voicing demands for climate justice at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, saying China is ready to strengthen coordination with Nigeria and other African countries on climate change issues to safeguard the development interests of the Global South.
For his part, Tuggar said Nigeria and China have deep historical ties, rooted in mutual respect and trust, which have produced substantial achievements.
Nigeria and China share no differences and strengthening their cooperation conforms to their mutual interests, he said.
Nigeria is the last stop of Wang's four-nation African tour from January 5 to 11 following Namibia, the Republic of the Congo and Chad.
Chinese FM meets Nigerian president, foreign minister
Chinese FM meets Nigerian president, foreign minister
The sales revenue of enterprises in China improved significantly in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the economic operation showed many bright spots, according to the latest value-added tax (VAT) invoice data released by the State Administration of Taxation.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the sales revenue of the manufacturing industry increased by 3.8 percent year on year, 2.4 percentage points higher than the growth rate in the third quarter, the VAT invoice data shows.
Specifically, the sales revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry increased by 8.3 percent year on year. In particular, the sales revenue of the railway, ship, aerospace equipment manufacturing industry, computer communication equipment manufacturing industry, and general equipment manufacturing industry increased rapidly in the fourth quarter, up by 16.5 percent, 10.9 percent and 8 percent year on year respectively.
Meanwhile, emerging industries continued to grow rapidly. The sales revenue of high-tech industries increased by 10.6 percent year on year, and that of the core industries of the digital economy grew by 5.5 percent compared with the same period last year.
The latest VAT invoice data also shows that driven by the large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, the amount of machinery and equipment purchased by enterprises nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased by 7.5 percent year on year, 2.2 percentage points higher than the growth rate in the third quarter.
The retail sales of home audio-visual equipment and daily household appliances increased by 38.1 percent and 75.4 percent year on year respectively. In addition, furniture retail and sanitary ware retail related to home decoration went up by 39.4 percent and 26.3 percent year on year respectively, both significantly faster than the growth rate in the third quarter.
With policies in place to support projects for implementing major national strategies and building security capacity in key areas, the sales revenue of the civil engineering construction industry in the fourth quarter, which reflects infrastructure investment, experienced significantly faster year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter. Especially with the implementation of a package of debt reduction policies, the sales revenue of the civil engineering construction industry in December increased by 7 percent year on year.
VAT invoice data shows China's economic highlights in Q4 2024
